We Are Social’s Monday Mashup #758
This week, we might actually be at the end of the U.S TikTok ban debate! ByteDance (TikTok’s owners) has made a deal that could keep Americans scrolling their FYPs. YouTube has launched a global visual refresh following its 20th anniversary and is also planning on launching AI clones.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn Beckham has caused a stir by calling out his family publicly on IG. However, the British public will always side with the Spice Girls, with Posh heading straight to Number 1 in the UK charts. Read on for more social media news.
ByteDance signs U.S. TikTok deal
Image credit: Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto / Getty Images
After what feels like an eternity, TikTok has finally signed a deal to keep running in the U.S.! TikTok’s parent company ByteDance has made a deal with a group of non-Chinese investors to form a joint venture that is majority American-owned. The investors include: Oracle, private equity firm Silver Lake, Abu Dhabi-based investment company MG, Michael Dell’s family investment firm, and several smaller investors.
YouTube rolls out global refresh
Image credit YouTube
Happy 20th Birthday YouTube! And, like most of us entering our 20s, it’s time for a makeover. YouTube has rolled out a global visual refresh, including its first dedicated motion system, developed in-house by YouTube Creative Studio. The update spans Shorts, Music, TV, Premium and Kids and is designed to bring a bit more cohesion across the family of sub-brands.
YouTube to launch AI Clones
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan has announced that the platform is planning a big expansion of AI creator tools in 2026/ This includes creators being able to create AI clones. As per Mohan: “This year you’ll be able to create a Short using your own likeness, produce games with a simple text prompt, and experiment with music.” YouTube is yet to disclose how this will work or when we can expect to see the feature but we do know it will only be on Shorts.
X to make one lucky creator a millionaire
Image credit: SocialMedia Today
To get people creating more long-form content, X has announced it will pay $1million to the author of the most popular X article posted in Jan. Only U.S users are eligible, and you need to be an X premium subscriber to write an article.
TikTok releases new AI features for ads
Image credit: TikTok
TikTok has announced new updates to its AI-powered Smart+ campaigns. Firstly, the platform has added “Auto-Select”, which will scan existing ads with eligible creator content, then recommend the best-performing creatives for your campaign. TikTok is also expanding ad previews so you can see what every variation of your Smart+ ad will look like. And, finally there are multiple minor updates to existing features such as draft mode, bulk editing and automated rules.
Instagram tests Friend count rather than Following
Instagram is testing an update, which would change your “Following” count to “Friends” and just show the people who mutually follow you. Instagram confirmed the live test to Business Insider, saying that “it’s currently a small-scale experiment to see how people respond to highlighting friend connections.” So, if your like me and follow an obscene amount of celebs (and for some reason don’t follow you back), you could be about to look seriously unpopular…
🔥Trending this week 🔥
💥Brooklyn Beckham sent shockwaves through social, after detailing his extreme fall-out with his family. But, in meltdowns come lots of memes.
🟠 MAC is now on Reddit, asking people what product should be brought back
🪩 Don’t let the elements stand in your way.
🎨 We’re living in a Pantone-coloured world.
🌍 “My items arguing…” is the latest trend – and the sounds keep evolving.
🦕 ‘What year were you born?’ is the trend that sasses anyone born pre the year 2000, although some are now flipping the narrative.
🦉 Twit-twho?#owlsoftiktok is flying with people sharing their impressions.
🎶 Victoria Beckham’s week may have started at the bottom, but now she’s top of the iTunes UK Charts.
In other news
❌ The UK government is opening talks on a possible under-16s social media ban
📺 Substack launches TV app.
🌎 Threads rolls out ads worldwide.
☁️ X rolls out ‘starterpacks’ à la Bluesky
🤖 IG boss lays out concerns about AI content
🛍️ YouTube CEO hints focus on in-stream shopping for 2026
📌 Pinterest launches new Media Planner.
🏷️ X tests paid promotion tags on posts.
👋 Threads experiments with animated stickers.